


A Little More Selfish, A Little Less Human

by BunsBenni (Clipser)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Dead Armin Arlert, Depressed Eren Yeager, Emotional, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Sad, Sad Ending, a bunch of character death because i live for pain, beast titan can be a professional pitcher on some major league baseball team, eren angy at levi, erwin upset he alive and aint dead, god i live for hurting others, hange is still precious, i dont know what other tags to add:P, i still haven't watched season 4 episode 8, levi messed up big time, mikasa changes a loooooooooooot, mmm cooked armin, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:27:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29173392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clipser/pseuds/BunsBenni
Summary: What if instead of Armin, Levi decided to save Erwin?Inspired by @bapplebubble on TikTok! Please go check out their Art!
Comments: 2
Kudos: 33





	A Little More Selfish, A Little Less Human

**Author's Note:**

> One different choice can alter humanities fate.
> 
> Hello, hi! This story is inspired by @bapplebubble on TikTok, so please go check them and their art out!
> 
> This is also the prologue! I wanted to get it out right away, so decided to make a short chapter that would lead into it! The next chapter will be longer, around 2,000+ words, so hopefully it can make up for this one!

Darkness surrounded his vision, he felt cold. Lonely. And as fast as that darkness came, it disappeared.

Cold air rushed through his body. Muffled voices filled his ears, one yelling and screaming. His body was sore, everything hurt.

He tried to remember, but all he could see was the rocks pummeling towards him before it went blank. His eyes opened suddenly, and he found himself in a building. He looked to his left, his eyes widening.

A burnt body.

He quickly looked to his left, his mouth hung open as he stared at humanity's greatest weapon. Levi stared with a solemn look, his eyes speaking all that he needed to know.

He looked towards the ground, shock filling his body. He didn't know what to do. He was supposed to be dead. He wasn't supposed to be...no. 

"I'm sorry..."

He leaned over, his hands planting on the hard roof. Hands? No, he only had one. The other...His stomach felt sick. Why? Why was he still alive?

"You'll have to stay a devil for a little while longer."

He heard screaming, his head snapping up to his left to see two figures holding onto the burnt body. One of them was crying out loud, his voice sounding raw. The other was silently sobbing, and she held onto the body and the boy tightly.

"Erwin!" His body was suddenly enveloped in a hug, dark brown hair filling his eyesight. 

_Hange._

"What...." Erwin muttered quietly, his eyes meeting up with Levi's once more. The man looked away, not daring to meet his eyes.

"You were dying, so I used the Titan serum on you. You ate the Colossal Titan." Levi stated though he sounded a little disgusted by using the term ate with a titan in the same sentence. Erwin tensed, his eyes looking back over to where the two scouts were crying their eyes out.

"We lost all our scouts, it's just the nine of us left."

Erwin nodded his head, unwrapping himself from the tight hug that Hange was currently giving him. He stood up, wobbling a bit, before walking over to the two scouts and charred body.

"Is this someone you are close with, Cadet Jaeger, Ackerman?" He asked though he shouldn't have. Eren snapped his head up at the commander, rage, and pain filling his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something but was stopped as the ravenette beside him gripped his hand.

"It was between you or Armin Arlert, commander. There was an argument on whether to resurrect you or him. I chose the side of you being resurrected sir." A voice said from behind, and Erwin turned his head. 

Erwin wanted to ask why, why him. He was supposed to be dead. Not resurrected like some monster.

"I chose to use it on you. It was my choice, and the best one." The voice of the man Erwin trusted spoke, and he tightened his fists together.

"I'm _supposed_ to be dead." Erwin hissed, voice dripping with venom.

Silence filled the air as the tension grew thick. His eyes never wavered Levi, who stared back just as strong. Eren was now looking at them, dry tears staining his cheeks.

"He wanted to see the outside world...why couldn't he?" The boy asked, Erwin almost not hearing as he spoke quietly. 

Erwin turned, his heart dropping. Eren was staring right at him, his eyes full of questions and hurt. Tears were flowing freely down his cheeks again, and the usually lively green eyes were now a dull emerald. He could understand the pain Eren was feeling, losing his childhood friend who could've been saved. Who _should've_ been saved. Erwin opened his mouth, ready to speak.

"Erwin is the main reason this plan was successful. Without him, we all would have been dead." Levi interrupted. 

"But, it was Armin's plan that saved us from the Colossal! He's the reason-"

"No, Jaeger. With or without his plan, we would've still have figured out a way to defeat them." 

Erwin disagreed, earning a surprised look from everyone. "Would you, Levi? It would have just been the 8 of you. We would have still lost." 

"What?" 

"The Beast Titan would have escaped, and the Colossal would have killed all of you before you even could figure out a plan." Erwin stared at Levi, his eyes void of any emotion. "Which is why I want to ask, why save me?"

"Why save you? You're our commander! Why wouldn't we save you!?" Hange yelled, throwing their hands in the air. 

"So what? I've lived my life! I've done bad and good things! I don't want to-" He cut himself off. His voice dropped below a whisper, his face once again unreadable, "I don't want to live as a _devil..._ "

He already knew he was, metaphorically, a ' _devil'_. Now, however, he is a devil that has destroyed and killed. He was at peace with dying, but because he was a commander, he was forced to live again? Why would he want to live? After everything, he's been through? 

"Can we....bury him by the sea?" The ravenette finally spoke up, though, you couldn't see her face. Erwin felt guilt racking up in his heart, and his face fell.

"Of course we can, and then we'll explore the world for him," Eren replied, his voice devoid of any signs of feeling. "We'll find out what my dad's been hiding in that basement, we'll destroy all the Titans, and then we'll explore the world for Armin."

Erwin stood up. He looked down at the two holding Armin's body, Eren seemed to get the memo and stood up as well. His eyes met Levi's and they darkened immediately, filling with hate and anger.

To save the world, you needed to play the part of hero and villain.

**Author's Note:**

> Again, please check out @bapplebubble on TikTok! Their art is really good, and can make you cry:D (Especially the one this was inspired by


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